Curtain-fixture.



J. A. LYONS. CURTAIN FIXTURE. APPLIGATIONV FILED JULY 22. 1904..

PATENTED AUG. 1,1905.

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' PATENTED AUG. 1, 1905.

J. A. LYONS. CURTAIN FIXTURE. APPLIUATIOK'ITLED JULY-22. 1904.

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"UNI ED; STATES PATENT OFFICE A JAMES A. LYoNS, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE.

CURTA lN-FI XTURE.

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. LYoNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Knoxville, in the county of Knox and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Curtain-Fixtures, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to window-curtain fixtures, and particularly to that class of fixtures in which provision'is madefor adjustment of a horizontal spring-actuated roller upon which the curtain or shade is' rolled, the object being to secure light and ventilation from above the curtain when desired.

The construction herein shown is a modification of the construction made the subjectmatter of Letters Patent of the United States N 0. 739,890, granted to me September 29, 1903.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of a curtain-fixture embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1. Figs.

3, 4:, and 5 are detail views illustrating mechanism for controlling the upper roller. Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views of mechanism for adjusting the guide-cords. Figs. 8 and 9 show another form.

Referring to said drawings, 1 is the upper roller, and 10 is the lower or shiftable roller.

The latter supports the shade or curtain. (Not shown in the drawings.) Both said rollers are of the common spring-actuated type. At

each end the roller 1 is supported in a bracket 2, having its foot 2* attached to the windowcasing A in the usual manner. The upper end of the foot of each of said brackets is preferably turnedoutwar'd and upward and provided with a notch 2 A guide-cord 4: is located at each side of the window and secured by its upper end in such notch, said end of the cord being knotted and the knot being placed above the foot and the said notch being so narrow as to prevent the drawing of the knot downward. Each such cord passes downward over the face of the window-casing and is there secured to a hook-plate 5, having its upper end turned forward and downward and provided with a notch 5 for receiving the lower knotted end of the cord the same as the upper knotted end of the cord is received by the notched upper end of the foot 2 ,.excepting that the lower knot rests below the adjacent notch, while the knot at the upper end of said cord rests above the notch 2 One'of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed ly 22, 1904- Serial No. 217.608.

Patented Au 1, 1905.

lateral edges of the plate 5 is provided with notches 5 extending slightly downward from said edge and adapted to engage the shank .Of a screw-eye 6, extending into the windowcasing. Said plate 5 may be moved up and down and the shank'of said screw-eye made to engage different notches 5. By this means the tension of said guide-cords may be varied.

Straps .or cords 3 3 are attached by their upper ends to the roller 1 and adapted to be rolled and enrolled by the rotation of said roller. Ay-oke 7 is secured to the lower ends of the straps or cords 3. r The drawings Show said straps or cords extending. around Said yoke and having the ends suitably joinedto the main part of the strap, as by stitching or by the buckles shown in my said Patent N 0. 739,890. Staples 8 extend around the strap 3 on the yoke 7 and prevent the lateral movement of the straps on the yoke. Brackets 9 support the roller ,10 in the usual manner. Said brackets are preferably formed of sheet metal, as described in my said Patent No. 7 39,890.- Said bracket comprises the foot 9, the portion 9, extending across the end of the roller and forming the bearing for the latter, and a sleeve 9, surrounding the end of the bar of the yoke. A staple 11 extends through the sleeve 9 and'through the bar of the yoke lying within said sleeve. One of the arms of said staple is bent laterally to bind said staple into place. In addition to securing said sleeve to said bar said staple serves as a means for Slidably Securing the yoke to the guide-cords A. For this purpose each guide-cord passes through the adjacent staple 11. The weight of the roller 10 and the cur tain thereto attached tilts the upper portion of each bracket9 forward, whereby the avoidance of contact between the rear portion of said staple 11 and the window-casing is made certain. Thus the guide-cord 4: alone makes contact with the brackets as the latter move up and down and scratching of the windowcasing is prevented. To reduce friction, the lower end of the bracket-foot is curved outward, as shown in the drawings.

A pull-cord 12 is wound around the right hand end of the upper roller 1 in the same direction as the straps 3 are wound, so that said cord is adapted to cooperate wlth said straps in turning said roll forward or against the action of itsspring, (the well-known pawls of said roller normally resisting rotation of said roller in thedirection of the action'of said.spring,) and said cord extends thence downward a little below the foot of the righthand bracket 9. Thence it passes through a ring 13 and thence upward through an aperture 14 in the foot 9 and is suitably secured to said foot, as by knotting. A second pullcord 15 is secured to said ring and extends thence downward, preferably through the screw-eye 6, in order that the latter may serve as a guide for said cord. The portion of said cord below said screw-eye is to be grasped by the hand for raising and lowering the lower roller. It will be observed that by this arrangement the power required for rotating the upper roller for the lowering of the lower roller is applied in part through the upper pull-cord 12 and in part through the straps 3, for the lower pull-cord is attached to the ring 13, and the latter is slidable on the upper pull-cord and pulls on the latter between its ends, and one of said ends is attached to the upper roller and the other of said ends is attached to the yoke, and the yoke is supported by said straps.

If the upper pull-cord 12 and the straps 3 could be arranged to wind and unwind with equal speed, said pull-cord might be attached directly to the yoke and the lower pull-cord also attached directly to the yoke; but since it is not practical to maintain even length or tension on the cord 12 and the straps 3 said cord 12 is made longer than said straps and the lower pull cord 15 secured to the cord 12 by means of the slidable ring 13. In operation said ring is always drawn downward until the upper pull-cord is put under tension, and obviously the short portion of said pullcord extending from said ring to the foot 9 is put under the same tension as the other por-' tion of said cord, and the tension in said short portion is transmitted to the straps 3. Thus the straps and said cord are automatically put under the same or a balanced tension.

It will be observed that drawing the curtain attached to the roller 10 for the purpose of unrolling said curtain will put strain upon the straps 3 and tend to unroll the upper roller 1.

In the absence of positive means for at such time preventing the rotation of the upper roller in response to such strain the spring in the upper roller must be considerably stronger than the spring in the lower roller. To avoid the use of such a strong spring in said upper roller, I have applied to the right-hand upper bracket positive mechanism for normally engaging the upper roller and preventing its rotation by downward strain upon the straps 3. Applied to the end of the roller and concentric with the axis of the latter is a disk 16, having suitably-spaced ratchet-teeth 17, the radial faces of which are directed rearward when said teeth are above the bearing of the roller. Above the said disk a pawl 18 is suitably hinged to a fixed support and extended thence forward into engagement with the uppermost ratchet-tooth. A spring 19 is applied to said pawl in such manner as to hold the free end of the latter in yielding engagement with said ratchet-disk. The upper pullcord 12 is so combined with said pawl as that when said cord is drawn downward the rear end of said pawl is drawn downward and its forward end is tilted upward out of engagement with said ratchet-disk, and so maintained as long as sufficient tension upon said cord is maintained to rotate the upper roller or prevent its reverse movement. It will be seen that under this arrangement the spring of the upper roller need only be strong enough to raise the lower roller and its yoke and to overcome the friction of the pull-cord and that it need not be strong enough to resist strain applied to the curtain for unrolling the latter.

The details for the mounting of thepawl 18 may be understood by reference to Figs 3, 4. and 5. A pawl-bracket 20 is applied removably to the upper portion of the foot 2 of the upper bracket 2. Said bracket is formed of sheet metal. It has a middle web 20 extending behind the oblique upper portion of said foot and having at its upper portion lateral flanges 20, extending forward and then toward each other, so as to embrace the lateral edges of the upper portion of said foot, and at each side of its lower portion said bracket 20 has an extension 20, directed horizontally forward and provided with transverse and horizontally opposite apertures 20, which form bearings for a small shaft 21. The upper knot of the adjacent pull-cord extends above said web and aids in retaining said pawl-bracket in position. The pawl, as shown in the drawings, is also formed of sheet metal. It consists of a main approximately horizontal portion 18, lateral descending flanges 18, having oppositely-disposed apertures18, and a rear rising flange 18. The shaft 21, already described as extending through the apertures 20, also extends through said apertures 18, whereby said pawl is hinged. A coiled spring 19 extends around said shaft and has an arm 19 hearing upward against the rear end of said pawl and has another arm 19 extending rearward and laterally into a notch 22 in one of the extensions 20 The action of said spring is to yieldingly press the rear end of said pawl upward and the forward end thereof downward. Immediately in frontof the rising flange .18" of the pawl 18 a stirrup or yoke 23, formed of wire. has its arms extending through said pawl and bent laterally, so as to be adapted to bear against the said rising flange, and thereby to some extent prevent said yoke from swinging forward. The upper pull-cord 12 extends from the roller 1 rearward through said stirrup and thence downward. It will be seen that when said cord is pulled it will draw said stirrup downward and forward until said cord is approximately straight from the roller 1 downward to the ring 13. As already indihold said pawl down.

cated, thus drawing said stirrup will tilt the pawl 18. Thus the pulling of said cord first raises said pawl, so as to free the upper roller, and then rotates said roller.

In the form shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the pawl and stirrup consist of a single piece of wire hinged directly to the adjacent upper bracket 2 in lieu of the pawl-bracket 20, illustrated by the preceding figures. From each side of the upper portion of the foot 2 of the upper bracket 2 an car 24 extends forward, and each such ear is provided with an aperture 24, and the inner of said two cars has at its front edge a lateral extension 24", directed toward the other of said ears. a stop for the pawl, as will be hereinafter described. The pawl 25 consists of an elongated U-shaped portion of said piece of wire. From the rear end of the right-hand arm of said pawl a journal 26 extends laterally into the 'adjacent aperture 24*. From the rear end of the other arm of the pawl the wire forms the depending U-shape stirrup or yoke 26, and from the upper end of the left-hand arm of the stirrup the wire is turned horizontally to form a journal 26, resting in the aperture 24 of the adjacent car 24. The upper pull-cord 12 extends through the stirrup 26 just as it does through the stirrup 23. A

contracting coiled spring 27 is secured by its upper end to one of the arms of the pawl and by its lower end to the bearing portion 2 of the bracket 2 and serves to normally move or when the cord 12 is drawn so as to draw the lower end of the stirrup 26 forward, such forward movement is limited by the inturned front end 24 of the left-hand ear 24.

It will be understood that while I have shown herein only .two embodiments of my invention the various parts 'of the mechanism may be further modified as to form, material, and arrangementwithout departing from my invention.

I claim as my invention 1. In a curtain-fixture, the combination with a stationary spring-roller, a shiftable roller, and straps supporting said shiftable roller from said stationary roller, of ratchet mechanism for locking said stationary roller against forward rotation, and a pull-cord in operative relation with said stationary roller and said ratchet mechanism, substantially as described.

2. Inacurtain-fixture, the combination with a stationary spring-roller, a shiftable roller, and straps supporting said shiftable roller from said stationary roller, of ratchet mechanism for locking said stationary roller against forward rotation, an upper pull-cordhaving its upper end in operative relation with said upper roller and with said ratchet mechanism and having its lower end in operative relation with said shiftable roller, and a second pullcord slidably joined to said upper pull-cord, substantially as described.

Said extension constitutes 3. In a curtain-fixture, the combination with if roller, of ratchet mechanism for locking said stationary roller against forward rotation, an upper pull-cord having its upper end in operative relation with said upper roller and with said ratchet mechanism and having its lower end joined to said yoke, and a second pull-cord slidably joined to said upper pullcord, substantially as described.

5. In a curtain-fixture, the combination with a stationaryspring-roller, brackets supporting said roller, a shiftable roller, and straps supporting said shiftable roller from said stationary roller, of a series of ratchet-teeth arranged concentric to said stationary roller at one end of the latter, a pawl hinged in bearings supported by the adjacent bracket and having a yoke, a spring for normally moving said pawl toward'said ratchet-teeth, and a pull-cord applied to said stationary roller and extending through said yoke, substantially as described. A

6. In a curtain-fixture, the combination with a stationary spring-roller, brackets supporting said roller, a shiftable roller,. and straps supporting said shiftable roller from said stationary roller, of a series of ratchet-teeth arranged concentric to said stationary roller at one end of the latter, a pawl hinged in bearings supported by the adjacent bracket and having a yoke, a spring for normally moving said pawl toward said ratchet-teeth,

its lower end in operative relation with said shiftable roller, and a second pull-cord slidably joined to said upper pull-cord, substantially as described.

7. In a curtain-fixture,the combination with a stationaryspring-roller, ashiftable roller, and straps supporting said shiftable roller from said stationary roller, of ratchet mechanism for locking said stationary roller against forward rotation, a pull cord in operative relation with said stationary roller and said ratchet mechanism, and mechanism for limiting the movement of said ratchet mechanism, substantially as described.

8. In a curtain-fixture,the combination wit a stationary spring-roller, brackets supporting said roller, a shiftable roller, and straps supporting said shiftable roller from said stationary roller, of a series of ratchet-teeth arranged concentric to said stationary roller at one end of the latter, a pawl hinged in bearings supported by the adjacent bracket and having a yoke, a spring for normally moving'said pawl toward said ratchet-teeth, a pull-cord applied to said stationary roller and extending through said yoke, and mechanism for limiting themovement of said pawl, substantially as described.

9. In a curtainfixture,the combination with a stationary spring-roller, a shiftable roller, and straps supporting said shiftable roller from said stationary roller, of ratchet-teeth applied to said stationary roller, a rollerbracket having ears, 24, and acombined pawl and stirrup journaled in said ears, said pawl being set for holding said roller against forward rotation substantially as described.

10. In a curtain-fixture, the combination with a stationary spring-roller, a shiftable roller, and straps supporting said shiftable roller from said stationary roller, of ratchetteeth applied to said stationary roller, a rollerbracket having ears, 24:, and a pawl and stirrup consisting of a single wire and journaled in said ears, said pawl being set for holding said roller against forward rotation substantially as described.

11. In a curtain-fixture, the combination with a stationary spring-roller, a shiftable roller, and straps supporting said shiftablc roller from said stationary roller, of ratchetteeth applied to said stationary roller, a rollerbracket having ears, 24, a combined pawl and stirrup journaled in said ears, said pawl being set for holding'said roller against forward rotation and mechanism for limiting the movement of said pawl, substantially as described.

12. In a curtain-fixture, the combination with a stationary spring-roller, a shiftable roller, and straps supporting said shiftable roller from said stationary roller, of ratchetteeth applied to said stationary roller, a rollerbracket having ears, 2 k, a pawl and stirrup consisting of a single wire and journaled in said ears, said pawl being set for holding said roller against forward rotation and mechanism for limiting the movement of said pawl, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 6th day of July, in the year 190 i.

JAMES A. LYONS.

Witnesses:

CYRUS Knnn, H. (I. SANFORD. 

